Send Me On My Way
by LeSylph
Summary: When a small town gets smaller, maybe that's when enough is enough. Jo/Zane.


What is with all those looks that Jo is giving Carter? I felt in need of a solid Jo picks Zane, so I wrote this.

Disclaimer: I don't own Eureka or any of the characters.

* * *

Eureka is a small town. It gets even smaller when you have to work with the people that you're trying to avoid.

She's not into Carter, not like that. Of course she's thought about it, like she told him, he's an attractive man and her best friend. That's the key word. Best _friend_.

She's thought about Fargo, before. Not that she wanted to admit it, but that damned Zorro dream had proved it. They were just thoughts, not feelings. A what if.

Zane doesn't get that. Allison doesn't get that. And it aggravates Jo to the point of wanting to test it.

"Hey, Jo!" Carter jogs up to her but she doesn't slow. "We've got a situation."

"I'm on it, Carter."

He puts a hand on her shoulder and she flinches. She wonders if this is how it started. This constant team work. Relying on one another. "Oh, good."

Good. Nothing is good. She sucks in a deep breath. "Actually it's not 'good.'" She hasn't thought it through, but it feels right, "I can't do this anymore."

Carter looks confused. "Do what?" He kind of laughs, "You do realize that chasing after experiments gone wrong sort of comes with the job."

"Not that. This," she waves her arms around. "All of this. Carter…I quit. I'm going to let Fargo know."

His face contorts, "Oh come on, Jo. Don't do this. It's been weird for everyone, but-"

She thought that she could handle it, but she can't, the way that things are now...it's not what she wants.

Zane is in his lab and he's so preoccupied that he doesn't hear her come in. She walks up behind him, slides her arms around his waist, and lays her head against his broad back.

"Kind of busy right now, Jo," Zane says.

"I know." She releases him and he turns.

He's looking at her like she's an equation that he's missing a piece of. "Something's up."

She nods. Old Zane would never have figured that out.

"Okay, so are you going to tell me?"

Jo bites her lip. "I-"

"Excuse me, Miss Lupo." There's a security officer standing in the doorway. "Dr. Fargo asks that you leave the premise. You're no longer authorized to be here."

Zane stands to his full height and eyes the officer, "What the hell is going on."

"Given Miss Lupo's resignation, we're required to escort her from GD."

Zane stares at her. "Her what?"

"Resignation, Sir."

Jo can see the rage beneath the cool exterior. That's why she had wanted to tell him first. He had never been good at handling surprises.

Neither say anything as she follows the officer out.

She's walking away from GD when she hears the sound of feet pounding against pavement and then Zane's hand catches her by the wrist. "Wait, you're going to leave without even saying anything?"

She smiles sadly up at him and cups his face with her hand. "I was going to wait for you at your apartment."

"Can you just tell me what's going on?"

Jo sighs. "Zane, now isn't the time."

"When is the time, then?"

Her shoulders slump and she drops her hand. She gives in. "I'm leaving."

"Yeah I figured that."

"But I wanted to ask you to come with me."

He's silent. His eyes are searching hers. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. Zane…I want us…I want a future together. But we can't have that here."

He's weighing his options, she can tell. Then he brings her into a kiss. "That's the best thing you've ever said to me, JoJo."

She's packing her things when Zane walks in. He has his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans and he leans against the wall, watching her. Then he smiles. "Fargo wasn't too happy about letting me go, especially without notice. But he said he understands."

Jo tosses a shirt at him. "Start packing."

Their goodbyes are short. It has to be that way or else one of them will change their minds.

They don't know where they're going. Jo drives. She keeps driving until Zane says that he'll take over. When she wakes up, they're passing a Welcome to California sign.

She has to hand it to Zane. He may have gone along with her moment of impulsiveness, but he's not stupid. Fargo made a few calls for him and landed Zane an interview at Caltech.

They don't have a white picket fence or a golden retriever. But they're living their own version of a happy family, just the two of them.

Zane puts on the coffee while she makes scrambled eggs. She's wearing his shirt and nothing else and he's wearing a suit jacket and dark jeans.

"I'm working late tonight," he says. Once he's finished with his dissertation he'll officially become Dr. Donovan. He's never really cared about the title, but he does care about how far he's come. Kicked out of every University he'd stepped foot in to convicted felon to doctorate, with would be space traveler also under his belt.

Jo scrapes the eggs onto a plate. "I thought you'd say that." She asks as he pours her coffee, "Do you ever regret it?"

"Regret what?"

"Leaving Eureka." She looks grim. "All that technology to play with, this has to feel like a downgrade."

"Does it feel that way to you?" He asks.

Jo smiles at him over her mug. "I've never been happier."

He kisses the top of her head and grabs his plate. "Same. Eureka can have all its fancy equipment. I've never regretted a day."


End file.
